Licence Conditions

Every liquor licence in NSW is subject to licence conditions. Some conditions are imposed automatically by the NSW liquor laws and others can be imposed by the Secretary of the Department of Industry or the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority Board (ILGA).

Conditions may be added to your licence either when it is granted or after a serious complaint or incident involving your venue.

Statutory licence conditions

The following documents set out conditions which apply to liquor licences automatically:

Note these statutory conditions have been updated to reflect changes made in the Liquor Regulation 2018.

Conditions for Kings Cross and Sydney CBD Entertainment precincts

All venues in the Kings Cross precinct or Sydney CBD Entertainment precinct have special licence conditions to help reduce alcohol-related violence and anti-social behaviour in those areas.

Conditions for a specific venue

You can check what conditions apply to a particular liquor licence on the Service NSW website.

What your staff need to know

All staff working in a venue need to understand the venue’s liquor licence, authorisations and conditions. It is the licensee’s responsibility to ensure the licence, authorisations and conditions are available on site at all times.

Extended trading hours for hotels and clubs

Extended trading hours may be approved for hotels and eligible registered clubs to coincide with significant special events, such as major sporting events.

Extended trading hours conditions

Conditions apply on extended trading for special events.

Extended trading hours won’t allow you to:

make takeaway liquor sales during the extended period
override any existing trading hour restrictions that have been imposed on a hotel or registered club under the liquor laws.

Hotels and clubs that are already approved to trade during the above extended hours are not affected by these special arrangements.

Easter liquor trading hours 2019 as prescribed by the Liquor Act 2007

	Thurs 18 Apr	Good Friday Fri 19 Apr	Easter Saturday Sat 20 Apr	Easter Sunday Sun 21 Apr	Easter Monday Mon 22 Apr
Registered clubs	Normal trading	Normal on premises trading No takeaway sales	Normal trading	Normal trading	Normal trading
Hotels	Normal trading	Noon to 10pm No takeaway sales - see notes 6 and 9	Normal trading – see note 9	Normal trading - see note 4	Normal trading
Small bars	Normal trading	No trading permitted	Normal trading	Normal trading	Normal trading
Packaged liquor licence	Normal trading	No retail trading permitted	Normal trading	Normal trading under the Liquor Act but trading restrictions may apply under retail trading laws – see note 10	Normal trading
On-premises	Normal trading	Noon to 10pm in a dining area only with or ancillary to a meal – see notes 7 and 8 Normal trading for caterers, airports and vessels, and accommodation premises for sales to residents, resident’s guests and employees – see note 5	Normal trading – see note 9	Normal trading	Normal trading
Producer/ wholesaler	Normal trading	Normal trading If endorsed with drink on-premises authorisation, noon to 10pm for sale of liquor for consumption on premises	Normal trading	Normal trading	Normal trading

General notes applicable to all venues:

Additional trading hour restrictions: In addition to any other liquor licence conditions that further limit trading hours, you may need to conform to other trading hour conditions imposed by your local consent authority (usually council) or under the retail trading laws. If you have any questions regarding this please check with your local council office or Fair Trading NSW.
Liquor sales restrictions: All takeaway alcohol sales are prohibited after 11pm throughout the state as part of normal trading. Some venues in the Sydney CBD Entertainment and Kings Cross precincts are also subject to the lock out and cessation of liquor sales requirements.
6-hour closure still applies: Liquor licences granted from October 2008, along with licences that have an extended trading authorisation granted from that date and licences that are removed to another location from that date, are subject to a daily 6-hour closure for retail sales. This 6-hour closure continues to apply during the Easter period.

Notes specific to specific venues

Normal trading hours for hotels: In most cases authorised trading hours for Hotels is 10am-10pm on Sundays, the only variation to this is where an approved extended trading authorisation is utilised.
Vessel trading hours: Normal trading for vessels is one hour before that vessel starts any voyage or passage and ending 30 minutes after the voyage or passage is completed (or during other times approved by the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority).
Extended trading for hotels on Good Friday morning: If you already have an approved extended trading authorisation that allows on-premises sales past midnight until any time up to 5am, you may utilise that authorisation on Good Friday morning.
Good Friday trading outside specified hours can only be approved under an extended trading authorisation for on-premises licences: If approved, sales between 5am and midnight must be in a dining area only with or ancillary to a meal. Trading outside noon to 10pm is not permitted for a public entertainment venue (other than a cinema or theatre).
On-premises licence promoting local products: An approved take-away sales authorisation cannot be utilised on Good Friday.
Trading between midnight on Good Friday and 5am on Easter Saturday: This is not permitted for hotels and public entertainment venues (other than a cinema or theatre).
Packaged liquor trading on Easter Sunday: Easter Sunday retail trading may not be permitted under the Retail Trading Act 2008.
Further information is available from Fair Trading NSW.

Christmas and New Year liquor trading hours 2018/19

	Christmas Eve Mon 24 Dec	Christmas Day Tues 25 Dec	Boxing Day Wed 26 Dec	New Year's Eve Mon 31 Dec (see Note 6)	Easter Monday Tue 1 Jan
Registered clubs	Normal trading	Normal on premises trading No takeaway sales	Normal trading	Normal trading for clubs with unrestricted trading hours. For others, normal on premises trading to 2am the next day (or later if previously approved under the liquor laws) Normal trading for takeaway sales	Normal trading
Hotels	Normal trading	Noon to 10pm on premises trading in a dining area only with or ancillary to a meal - see note 1 No takeaway sales	Normal trading – see note 4	Normal on premises trading to 2am the next day (or later if previously approved under the liquor laws) Normal trading for takeaway sales	Normal trading
Small bars	Normal trading	No trading permitted	Normal trading	Normal trading to 2am the next day (or later if previously approved under the liquor laws)	Normal trading
Packaged liquor licence	Normal trading	No retail trading permitted	Normal trading subject to trading conditions for retail shops under the NSW retail trading laws - see note 5	Normal trading	Normal trading
On-premises	Normal trading	Noon to 10pm in a dining area only with or ancillary to a meal – see notes 2 and 3 Normal trading for caterers, airports and vessels	Normal trading – see note 4	Normal trading to 2am the next day (or later if previously approved under the liquor laws)	Normal trading
Producer/ wholesaler	Normal trading	Normal trading If endorsed with drink on- premises authorisation, noon to 10pm for sale of liquor for consumption on premises	Normal trading	Normal trading Normal trading to 2am the next day if endorsed with a drink on-premises authorisation (or later if previously approved under the liquor laws)	Normal trading

Notes:

Extended trading for hotels on Christmas Day morning: If you already have an approved extended trading authorisation that allows on-premises sales past midnight until any time up to 5am, you may use that authorisation on Christmas Day morning.
Christmas Day trading outside specified hours can only be approved under an extended trading authorisation for on-premises licences: If approved, sales between 5am and midnight must be in a dining area only, with or ancillary to a meal.
Trading outside noon to 10pm is not permitted for a public entertainment venue (other than a cinema or theatre).
On-premises licence promoting local products: An approved take-away sales authorisation cannot be used on Christmas Day.
Trading between midnight on Christmas Day and 5am on Boxing Day: This is not permitted for hotels and public entertainment venues (other than a cinema or theatre).
Packaged liquor trading on Boxing Day: Packaged liquor outlets may open for trade on the condition that everyone working in the shop freely choose to do so on Boxing Day.
Further information is available from NSW Industrial Relations.
New Year’s Eve Exemption: Most venues can stay open to sell or supply alcohol for consumption on the premises until 2am for New Year’s Eve despite earlier closing times that may normally apply under liquor licences and development consents or approvals. This does not include takeaway liquor sales and home deliveries. The Sydney CBD and Kings Cross lockout restriction on patrons being admitted to venues after either 1.30am or 2am does not apply that night.
Liquor sales restrictions: All takeaway alcohol sales are prohibited after 11pm throughout the state as part of normal trading. Some venues in the Sydney CBD Entertainment and Kings Cross precincts are also subject to cessation of liquor sales requirements.
6-hour closure still applies: Liquor licences granted from 30 October 2008, along with licences that have an extended trading authorisation granted from that date and licences that are removed to another location from that date, are subject to a daily 6-hour closure for retail sales. This 6-hour closure continues to apply during the Christmas period.
Vessel trading hours: Normal trading for vessels is one hour before the vessel starts any voyage or passage and ending 30 minutes after the voyage or passage is completed (or during other times approved by the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority).